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WEKU
WEKU
Jonathan Franklin

The FDA is proposing a ban on hair relaxers with formaldehyde due to cancer concerns

Kayleigh Butler, a hair stylist, stands for a portrait at her studio in Atlanta on Tuesday, Oct. 17, 2023. "Relaxers have taken an extreme decline ... as we became more knowledgeable about the effects of the relaxer on your hair and what it can do to your hair," says Butler, who remembers getting relaxers when she was 5 years old. (Kenya Hunter/AP)

The Food and Drug Administration is proposing a ban on using the chemical formaldehyde as an ingredient in hair relaxers, citing its link to cancer and other long-term adverse health effects.

The new rule proposed by the federal agency would ban the colorless and highly toxic chemical in high-straightening and hair-smoothing products — also referred to as relaxers.

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